Over American Individualism

In 1921, Herbert Hoover, then U.S. Secretary of Commerce, decided to go ahead based on his experiences, a sense of American experiment. The result was the 1922 book, “American individualism”. Below, a brief section of this book

Individualism has been the primary force of American civilization for three centuries. It is our kind of individualism that has motivated American political, economic and spiritual institutions throughout these years. It has proved its ability to develop institutions while the scene changes. Our form of government is the product of the individualism of our people, the demand for an equal opportunity, for a fair chance.

The American pioneer is the epic expression of this individualism, and the pioneer spirit is the reaction to the challenge of chance, the challenge of nature, the challenge of life, the call of the border. That soul must never die because of the lack of something that must be accomplished. There will always be a new limit to reach, or to hold fast, as long as people think, plan and dare. Our American individualism has taken a large part of its character from our contact with nature forces on a new continent. He developed governance, without official emissaries as guides; he plowed and <x0mboll” new states; he built roads, bridges, railways, cities; spread all features of high civilization on a new continent. The pioneer days are not over.

There are continents of human well-being, in which we've only penetrated the shores. The vast continent of science has been explored only at its borders, and it is only pioneers who will penetrate borders in search of new worlds to conquer. Their genius has been given to our institutions by the pioneer spirit. Our individuality has its roots in our nature. It's built on conviction based on experience. Equal chances, demand for a fair chance, became the formula of American individualism, because it's the method of American achievements.

After the absorption of the great plains of the West came the age of industrial development, along with the new army complex he has brought us. Now, with more security and accuracy than ever before, as well as with a more conscious understanding of our mission, we are finding solutions to these problems stemming from new conditions because the forces of our social system can circle and conquer them.

Our individuality is not a middle path between autocratia whether it be birth origin, economy or class origin. The socialism of different varieties may have something to recommend, only as a sign of “stop-see-and listen to” for intellectuals, especially the Old World societies. But it contains only destruction for forces that bring progress to our social system. Similarly, salvation comes from no focus of power -- be it economic or political -- as both are equally going back to Old World authorities, but in new clothing.

Salvation will not come from the ruins of individualism. What we need today is a commitment to a better, brighter, broader individualism that carries greater accountability and more service to our people.

We don't need a way out, we need a way ahead. We found our way out three centuries ago, when our ancestors left Europe to come to these shores, to create here a community of freedom, which would be devoted to developing individuality.

There are bad social forces beyond our failures that would destroy our progress. There are risks, reactions and radicalism. The permanent pizza of radicalism is that it is the only voice of liberalisation that commitment to social progress is its own ground. These people claim that all human reforms and progress must come from the government. They have forgotten that the principle should come from the continued rise of the individual, and that the best measure of idealism and national progress is the quality of idealism in the individual. The greatest support for radicalism comes from dishonest minds, which do not face the results of radicalism itself, but devote themselves to protecting radicalism as proof of a liberal mind. Most theories denouncing our individualism as a social foundation seem to have a passion for ignorance of its constructive ideals.

An ever greater danger is the destructive criticism of the minds that are very weak, or many parties, to create “shifting” constructive ideas. For them, cryicism is based on distorting perspective or evil interpretation. There is never any danger from the radical itself, until society's structure and self-confidence are damaged by the crowning of destructive criticism. The latter, of course, can lead to revolution if there are none who are willing to resist evil stemming from his denial. It has been said, rightly, that the revolution is not a storm in the middle of summer, which cleans up the atmosphere. In modern society, it is a tornado that leaves behind the ruined homes of millions of people with dead women and children.

There are also those who insist that the future should be a repeat of the past; that ideas are dangerous, that ideals are fanatic fiction. To find that solid balance between the future and the past, whose vision is for humans rather than tools, which has the courage to build, not criticize, that's what we need. There is no easier speaker, sharper and vivid writing than building phrases of kryticism and wickedness. There is nothing more difficult than finding inspiration to build.

We can never allow ourselves to remain calm, under the comfortable assumption that righteous ideas always prevail against their very virtue. In the long run, that's what happens, of course. But there may be times and times when the world fell back into darkness, only because great masses of people carried wrong ideas and embraced wrong social philosophy. The collapses of civilization have come from wrong ideas. Most world wars, including the latter, have been fought by advocates of conflicting ideas of social philosophy.

The main protection of American individualism is a meaning; a sense of belief that it is the most precious possession of American civilization, and a willingness to test courageously, every process of national life, on the cornerstone, of this basic social premiere. Developing human institutions and science and industry have been long chains of evidence and error. Our public relations with them and with other phases of our national life can be brought forward, only through willingness to experiment, in correcting our social mistakes. The unresolved failures and problems of economic and social life can be corrected; they can be resolved within our social subject and in no other system. The solution is a question of the will to find a solution; of the sense of duty, as well as a sense of right and citizenship. No one who buys smuggled whiskey can complain about armed thugs and smugglers.

Mankind has a long way to go, towards perfection, but we in America can ensure progress, if we preserve and protect our individualism, if we maintain and stimulate the initiative of our people, if we protect the equality of prospects, if we legalise service, as part of our national character. Progress will march if we maintain confidence in intelligence, initiative, character, cure and divine touch of the individual. We can guard these tools if we give each individual the chance on which the spirit of America rises. We can make a social system as perfect as our generation deserves, one that will be received with gratitude by our children.

/ Disconnected from the book “American individualism”, author Herbert Hoover. Bring in Albanian from The world..